The present invention relates to improvements in apparatus for manipulating containers for photographic roll films, especially exposed photographic roll films, and more particularly to improvements in apparatus for expelling or removing reels with exposed photographic roll films from cassettes, cartridges or analogous containers. Still more particularly, the invention relates to improvements in apparatus for removing reels with exposed photographic roll films from containers or cartridges of the type wherein the reel is confined in a substantially cylindrical shell having a substantially tangentially extending mouth which is flanked by two sealing strips or lips and defines a path for longitudinal movement of the photographic film from or into the interior of the shell. Cartridges of the just outlined character further comprise pairs of end walls which are riveted or otherwise sealingly secured to the end portions of the shell and have centrally located apertures for the core of the reel.
German Pat. No. 23 35 453 discloses an apparatus which comprise two clamping jaws disposed opposite each other and having arcuate portions which are movable into engagement with the shell of a cartridge containing a reel with exposed photographic roll film thereon. The curvature of the engaging portions of the jaws matches the curvature of the shell of the cartridge, and the two engaging portions together define a substantial part of a complete circle. One cover or end wall of the cartridge can be separated from the remainder of the cartridge by a fork-shaped tool which is movable radially of the cartridge and is thereupon shifted axially to engage the one end wall at two spaced-apart locations and whose prongs are in substantially linear contact with the end wall. A drawback of such apparatus is that the area of contact between the jaws and the shell of the cartridge is relatively small so that, if the shell is to be held against movement with the tool, the jaws must be urged into a pronounced deforming engagement with the shell which, in turn, interferes with orderly and predictable separation of the one end wall for the purpose of permitting extraction or expulsion of the reel with convoluted roll film from the interior of the shell. Thus, the force with which the shell can be engaged by the jaws cannot be increased at will because excessive deformation of the shell would prevent expulsion or extraction of the reel.
In accordance with a different prior proposal, the apparatus for removing reels with exposed roll films from the shells of cartridges comprises a bifurcated holder which engages the shell of a cartridge at an opening station, and two bell crank levers with grippers having sharp edges serving to separate one end wall from the shell of the cartridge. Such apparatus share the drawbacks of the aforediscussed patented apparatus, namely they cannot ensure predictable separation of one end wall from each and every type of cartridges which are presently used for confinement of photographic roll films.